WMS' Player Driven Innovation focus is changing the game at 2009 G2E

Company’s Chief Innovation Officer, Larry Pacey, will bring highlights of the company's G2E excitement in the days leading up to the trade show and from the floor of the show via tweets at www.Twitter.com/wms.

At the forefront of WMS' depth and breadth of products debuting this year will be games featuring next-generation versions of WMS' proven, content-enhancing foundational technology platforms enabled by the power of networked gaming capabilities - Community Gaming, Adaptive Gaming, Transmissive Reels technology and Sensory Immersion Gaming - along with products enabled by new innovative technologies to create new form factors and games that are truly unique in the industry. 

The company's excellence in evolving original product execution successes to create new dynamic player experiences will also be evident with the premiere of the next generation of popular products including the new Bluebird xD gaming cabinet, two new versions of the proven G+ series of video reel games (G+ 5x4 and G+ Deluxe) and the first series of G+ Mechanical games, two new series for the Innovation line of video reel games (Win it Again and Super Multi-Pay) and new games for WMS' I•Play video reel category.  Across the portfolio of new products on display at G2E this year, WMS will demonstrate its ability to design new enhancements into its products to create heightened "celebrate the win" experiences for players. 

Brian R. Gamache, chairman and CEO, said, "With our dedicated focus on the player's perspective, WMS' game development team has again created a fresh range of unique and differentiated entertainment experiences that are Changing the Game for slot players and casino operators. WMS has established a proven blueprint for long-term product development that is focused on the purposeful evolution of technologies to create entirely new slot categories that deliver unrivalled excitement for players.  As a result, WMS games provide unique gaming experiences that consistently generate high player appeal, which in turn drives increases in our casino slot floor market share."

WMS' product developers have created a record number of innovative products offering new, exciting, differentiated gaming experiences.  The following are highlights WMS will display at G2E this year: 103 new Video Reel games and 34 new Mechanical Reel games, including 94 new for-sale games and 43 new participation games Second- and third-generation product executions of WMS' networked gaming foundational technology platforms, including 13 games featuring innovative new game play enhancements enabled by a single robust WMS foundational technology platform; plus 6 additional new games combining two of our foundational technologies; and 2 new games that leverage the power of three of our foundational technologies 40 available games on the new, groundbreaking Bluebird xD gaming cabinet, a platform innovation from WMS that establishes an entirely new level of player entertainment experience through engineered advancements in cabinet functionality designed to take advantage of the unique game content enhancements enabled by networked gaming applications.
 
Gamache added, "Our focus on creating a broad array of innovative and differentiated, player-appealing products will be fully evident at G2E 2009.  We will debut all-new for-sale and participation games that clearly reflect our Culture of Innovation.  In the three years since WMS first introduced Monopoly Big Event, a game enabled by our Community Gaming technology, we have extended the capabilities of our content-enhancing, differentiated technologies that advance the horizon of player experiences.  WMS' G2E debut of new games and advanced versions of our popular video- and mechanical-reel games, as well as our new category-creating Bluebird xD gaming cabinet, will further demonstrate our success in creating technology advancements and continued execution on our product development blueprint that delivers next generation gaming products with high player-appealing entertainment." 

WMS will debut 21 new games at G2E 2009 that leverage next generation versions of the company's four revolutionary networked gaming technology platforms - Transmissive Reels Gaming, Community Gaming, Sensory Immersion Gaming and Adaptive Gaming - to provide unique gaming experiences, including games that combine multiple foundational technologies, such as:

Building on the success and familiarity of the ubiquitous The Price is Right game show, WMS has two of the most popular and exciting games from The Price is Right show. Plinko and Punch a Bunch games will debut creating a whole new paradigm in slot entertainment by leveraging enhanced versions of three of WMS' powerful foundational technology platforms - Community Gaming, Transmissive Reels Gaming and Sensory Immersion Gaming - to offer an unmatched entertainment experience.

WMS will showcase both versions of The Price is Right brand on the slot floor in entirely new and unique product executions as it invites players to "Come on Down" for a chance at Community Progressive Jackpots in the "Showcase Showdown."

It introduces a new "epic" gaming experience with The Lord of the Rings, which is built on the success of the proven, award-winning Adaptive Gaming product category that has met with widespread player enthusiasm. WMS' Adaptive Gaming technology has resulted in more than 750,000 unique log-ins as players unlock new features as they play, save their progress and resume game play at a later time - even at different casinos. The Lord of the Rings takes Adaptive Gaming to the next level as players embark on a journey based on the storyline of this motion picture trilogy and collect miles along the way to unlock new and exciting elements of the legendary adventure.

Over three years ago, WMS created Community Gaming with the introduction of Monoppoly Big Event. At this year's G2E, WMS moves the bar higher with major innovations that further heighten the communal celebration excitement. Presented across a super-wide (104") high-definition screen display, Monopoly Big Money Spin Bigger Event features new ways to qualify for and trigger the Big Event bonuses and introduces the industry's first "collaborative gaming" experience that allows players to work together in the bonus round.

The Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers is an entirely new product that extends this iconic brand by combining the visual and audio excitement of WMS' Sensory Immersion platform on the Bluebird 2 gaming cabinet delivering a wide screen, high definition trip down the yellow brick road. With second-generation Bose powered Bluebird2 audio, players feel every step of their adventure while they experience bonuses, free spins, respins and big wins as they play this new fantasy game.

A second new The Wizard of Oz themed game, Follow the Yellow Brick Road, is the latest Transmissive Reels version game. In addition to all of the entertainment enabled by the Transmissive Reels platform, this new game features 4-level, mystery-trigger progressive awards and a wide-area progressive jackpot.

"As the name implies, our ‘foundational technology platforms' were developed with a focus on the future.  From their initial development, each foundational technology platform was designed to create player entertainment experiences not available elsewhere on the casino slot floor," said Larry Pacey, WMS' executive vice president, global products and chief innovation officer.

"At G2E, WMS will showcase 21 new and distinctive products leveraging these next-generation capabilities, including for the first time games that create a new paradigm in slot entertainment by exploiting the power of three of our foundational technology platforms all in one game to deliver slot floor entertainment experiences that are once again Changing the Game."   

Bluebird xD cabinet also debuts at G2E 2009. It is a category creating, fully featured gaming cabinet that takes advantage of creative game content made possible by networked gaming capabilities. A revolutionary cabinet, Bluebird xD blends physical and sensory elements with function.  This product is available in video and mechanical Transmissive Reels versions which provide the comfort and sightlines of a slant-top cabinet with the convenience and footprint of an upright gaming machine.

Featured player comforts include ergonomic screen positioning for enhanced viewing, player intimacy and ease of play that is further elevated by intuitively located player interfaces and optimal player seating positions with generous leg clearance and an integrated footrest.  At this year's G2E, WMS will introduce the Bluebird xD cabinet with 40 available video and mechanical reel game themes.

New levels of player excitement offered in unique mechanical reel and video reel products include: G+ 5x4 and G+ Mechanical.

Two New Series of WMS' Popular Innovation Series of Games - The Win It Again series offers a new twist on the popular Cascading Reels series. Featured on the all-new I Love Lucy game, players who achieve three consecutive winning cascades in one spin will win the combined total of their last five wagers.

Offered exclusively on the Bluebird2 cabinet, the new Super Multi-Pay series allows players to play four separate reel sets at the same time on one screen, with bonuses and special symbols replicating across all four reel sets.

Max Win 5x4 - The industry's first 5x4mechanical reel game is enabled with the player- pleasing Transmissive Reels technology andfeatures stacked wilds and stacked symbols thatdeliver a high win rate.Additional unique features include aspecial reveal feature and color-accentuated reel lighting effects.

IPlay - IPlay games bring together the popular win celebrations of G+ games with a simple, interactive interface designed to enhance games that require interaction from players. Launching with three exciting themes, the IPlay category comprises games designed to be easily understood by players and create great moments of anticipation.

New video reel themed G+ High Denomination games are Bluebird2 exclusives from WMS designed specifically for the quarter, dollar and even higher denom market. These products feature the popular G+ series of games to maximize player familiarity and confidence, while also including an option for a stand-alone progressive.

Gamache concluded, "WMS' focus on Player Driven Innovation becomes more evident with each new product execution as we move further along the continuum of game development to cement the company's position as the industry leader in delivering products that players actively seek out.”